


Surprise

by honestgrins



Series: Challenge Accepted [21]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 21 - Late 1400s Era: Klaus instigates a curse, which has taken his memories away. The blonde he woke up with is beautiful, but a stranger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She woke to his hand gripping her throat.

Caroline was no stranger to breath play; she and Klaus had tried just about everything once in their century together.

But this was different.

Usually, Klaus would work her up to the more intense sessions, and their last encounter like this was approached with great care. He went over the safe words incessantly, scared that she would run away if he went too far. She had appreciated his worry, but it was unnecessary. Caroline was completely, head over heels in love. Rabid dogs couldn't chase her away.

That fact was probably the only reason she wasn't freaking out at Klaus tightening his hold on her neck. Her eyes flew open, already placating. She didn't expect to find such malice in his expression, though. "Klaus," she choked out, reaching for his arm.

"Who are you?"

The question was low and menacing. She had heard him like this before, but it hadn't been directed at her in a very long time. "What are you talking about," she asked, the croaking inevitable as Klaus refused to let up. "I'm Caroline."

"Why are you in my bed?"

"It's our bed," Caroline snapped, able to get an inch to struggle out from under his hand and take a defensive crouch. She held her hands up peacefully as she processed what he had said. He had no idea who she was or why she would be sleeping with him.

This wasn't her Klaus.

Bonnie had warned her this might happen when he attacked that coven of witches. They liked to cast curses in their dying moments, it was a bit of their trademark. Did they take Klaus's memories of her? Damn, that hurt.

"Rebekah," Caroline called, opening the door so she could be heard. "Will you come in here?"

"Bekah's here," Klaus asked, still looking angry and confused.

Caroline nodded. "She travels with us sometimes," she explained. "We're in San Francisco."

"I told you," Rebekah's voice floated from the hallway, "I don't want to know what odd things Klaus offers to teach you in bed, so please stop asking me for advice."

Before she could continue her tirade, Caroline spoke up. "I think the witches cursed Klaus to forget about me," she said, pulling the other blonde into the room.

Klaus, however, didn't like the rough motion. "Take your hands off her," he growled, both sets of fans dropping as his eyes turned gold. As quickly as it happened, he snapped back to his human face in shock. "Why did that feel different?"

Caroline was lost. She had no idea what was happening, and she couldn't even ask him for comfort. He was too likely to kill her in this keyed up state.

Rebekah seemed more sure. "You're a hybrid now, Nik," she explained gently. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I had just welcomed the doppelgänger to the castle," he said slowly. "Elijah was to take care of her until I could put everything in order to break my curse. She was to think I was courting her into marriage. You say I've already done it?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Caroline tried to not let the image of Katherine and Klaus bother her.

Rebekah just scoffed at her. "Get off it," she snapped. "It was seven hundred years ago, and you've been completely nauseating for nearly a century."

"Seven hundred years," Klaus breathed, trying to remain confident in his abilities. "That would explain the clothing, I suppose."

Glancing up, Caroline noticed his appreciative gaze wander over her skimpy pajamas. He always had preferred her in silk.

"Are you my wife, then?"

Caroline's eyes snapped wide open. Klaus was so ambivalent to human marriage rituals that he truly wouldn't care had she wanted to force the issue. Caroline Forbes would never change, though. She never wanted a wedding with an unwilling husband. For this version of him to effortlessly assume that they were married, it hurt.

"I'm going to call Bonnie," she said softly, grabbing his robe before ducking out of the room. Being wrapped in his warmth wasn't an option at the moment, so his scent imbedded in the fluffy terrycloth would have to do.

Back in the room, Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Your real self is going to pay for that one," she noted. At his confusion, she explained. "Caroline knows you love her, but she thinks you have no desire to call her wife."

Klaus shrugged, as this was no surprise to him. "At least that has stayed the same," he said. "Marriage has always been folly."

Rushing to shut the door to keep Caroline's prying ears out, Rebekah turned to glare at him. "Please keep your opinions to yourself, because you have grown a lot in this time, Nik," she said sternly. "You showed me the ring just last week, and you do intend to marry Caroline."

Shocked, Klaus tried to picture the blonde who had all but ran from the room. In seven hundred years, he wanted a wife. And he wanted it to be her. "Why?"

"It beats the hell out of me," Rebekah responded automatically, as though she were talking to the real Klaus. "That was a joke," she clarified. "You love her, and you hate that she still feels as though she's temporary. You wanted to prove to her that she is family."

"Always and forever," he whispered.

Pushing past Rebekah, Klaus opened the door and followed his senses to where the girl sat on a couch. The room was surrounded with odd knickknacks and technology, but all he could focus on was the woman huddled in a too-large robe dripping with his scent.

"Tell me about us," he said, almost able to laugh at her surprised jump. Then he saw the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to make you cry."

"It's not you," Caroline said, wiping away her tears. "Um, Bonnie- My friend, she's a witch, and she thinks the curse will work itself out in a day or two."

"Will you allow me to get to know you in the meantime," he asked, slowly taking the seat next to her. "I find myself curious about how you came to mean so much to me."

Caroline straightened in her seat, something about his statement had her perking up. "How much do I mean to you?"

For the first time, he looked like her Klaus. An evil smirk with eviler dimples, knowing he's cornered the game. "No," he said, grinning. "I want to talk about you."


	2. The Last 100 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hey! Saw your drabble from 25 days of klaroline where Klaus wakes up without his memory on the klarolinefandirectory this week. You should write a sequel to that! It was so good!

“I want to talk about you.”

Caroline froze, unsure where to even begin. For the first time in a century, she had honestly worried that Klaus would kill her. While she had faith Rebekah could protect her, the thought still lingered. The last thing she expected was for him to try and get to know her, especially recycling old lines he didn’t remember using on her.

“I- Uh,” she stammered, lost in his unfamiliar gaze. “What do you want to know?”

He didn’t answer right away. Rubbing the terry cloth of her sleeve between his fingers, he seemed otherwise content to just look at her. It was only Caroline’s impatient shifting that urged him to finally speak.

“I am missing seven hundred years,” he said, distant. “I'm not sure where to begin.”

“Well,” Caroline hedged, staring at the hand tugging absently on her sleeve, “I've only known you about two hundred years, so that's all I can really talk about.”

Klaus cocked his head in interest. “Rebekah said it had only been a century we've been nauseating,” he wondered. The corners of his mouth ticked upward, almost subconsciously. “Did you work in earnest to gain my attentions?”

The sputtering laugh the burst from the blonde was the first display of happiness he had seen from her. “No,” she denied vehemently. Suddenly, she shrunk away from him, as though fearful of his reaction. “Sorry,” she said more quietly. “Are you sure you want to know our story? It doesn't get good for a while.”

“It's good then,” he asked carefully, his entire being instinctively repulsed by the thought of scaring her. The soft, questioning look she gave him strengthened that protective urge and the desire to know more. “Our story?”

Her expression warmed entirely at his tentative demeanor. “One of the best,” she answered, reaching for his hand.

Klaus watched as her fingers wove between his own, an unfamiliar feeling for him. His body was quicker on the uptake. “How did we meet?”

“One of my best friends was the doppelganger you killed to break your curse,” Caroline explained, any bitterness from the memory long since resolved. “You almost used me as your vampire sacrifice. Then you killed my boyfriend, turning him into your first hybrid.”

Instinctively, Klaus growled at the claim she laid upon another man. “I don’t suppose I liked him very much,” he said, squeezing her hand.

“You did at first,” Caroline replied with a shrug. “You didn’t even like me yet when you started to hate him. He was trying to break the sire bond you held over him. That was how we officially met, because you ordered him to bite me.”

“I healed you,” Klaus realized, looking to the protruding veins in his wrist. “The legends were true, my blood is the cure for a werewolf bite.”

Shaking her head, Caroline tried not to smile. “A fact you never let us forget,” she said. “But it also came in handy, I have to admit. That was how we met up again, a hundred years after that first meeting.”

“You were bitten?” Klaus snarled, angry that she managed to find dangerous circumstances so often.

She smiled fully at his natural reaction, as it reminded her of the night their forever began.

* * *

_ Coughing weakly, Caroline slowly adjusted her position in the bed so she wouldn’t choke on the blood. The venom had worked its way through her system; if her past experience with wolf bites were any indication, she didn’t have much time. _

_ Kol had taken to pacing outside the hotel room when she kicked him out, his squirrelly personality antagonizing her own panic at the situation. He felt guilty, she knew, but Kol couldn’t have known the rowdy vampires were carrying syringes full of poison when the bar fight broke out. However, Caroline figured his nervous antics were more tied to the thought of calling his big brother to heal her. _

_ She and Klaus had run into each other several times over the century. Her world travels had taken her far, and they often appreciated the chance to catch up after a decade or two. Until she was ready to accept his offer of last loves and forever, though, they had an unspoken agreement to amicably part ways. _

_ When she found Kol surfing in Australia, Caroline expected a similar arrangement without the heavy promises attached. Acquaintances were good fun to chat with, then she’d say goodbye. Five years later, and he was still annoying the crap out of her from the spare room of her apartment. She wasn’t sure what made him such a great friend to her, but something about their friendship just worked. _

_ But Klaus didn’t know. _

_ Once resurrected, a petulant Kol went decades without contacting his siblings. “They don’t contact me either, darling,” he once explained to her over a bonfire on the beach. His expression seemed too cold for the playful vamp she had come to know, and Caroline sensed a kindred spirit to the lonely teenage girl she used to be. She had silently laid her head on his shoulder, the moment forgotten in the morning when a massive worm brushing her ankle had her shooting up from the sand and back to their apartment. Kol had laughed like he always did, back to the impish sense of humor. _

_ She always figured he would put that to use in taunting his brother. After all, Kol lived with the supposed girl of his dreams. Kol called it the ‘long game.’ The longer it took for Klaus to realize Caroline and Kol shared a home, the sweeter the payoff would be when he found out. _

_ Unfortunately, all Kol’s planning was for naught the second he called Klaus in a panic. He had been unwilling to waste any time, given Australia’s far commute anywhere. “Caroline’s been bitten, and she needs your blood,” he had said as soon as the call connected. “Where should we meet you?” _

* * *

“You made it to Istanbul in the nick of time,” Caroline said, absently rubbing her thumb along his hand while lost in her memories. “I was so proud you didn’t retaliate against Kol, and I realized I didn’t want to part ways again. Kol went back to Australia, we went to Rome.” She knew he didn’t have the same connotation the Eternal City held for her, but it was important.

It was their beginning.

“Since then,” she continued, “you’ve made it your mission to show me everything the world has to offer. You encourage me to explore, find new passions, test even your limits.” Her smile was small, but still bright. “We’re happy.”

“We are,” Klaus confirmed, his dimples deep as his smirk turned genuine. He hauled her into his lap, his hands sneaking under the robe to stroke her legs.

Caroline slapped at his hands, confused. “Hey--”

“Rome, Paris, Tokyo,” he whispered against her ear.

She squirmed, fighting his hold until she realized she never shared that tidbit. Gripping his hair with one hand, she pulled his head back from where his lips were grazing her throat. “Klaus?”

“It’s me,” he answered, pouting that she wouldn’t let him go back to kissing her.

“Bonnie said it would take a couple days,” Caroline said, grabbing his head with both hands to better examine him.

He shrugged, unconcerned. “Original Hybrid, remember?” His smug expression normally infuriated her, but he could tell she was too relieved to care. A thought struck him as she began to place small kisses all over his face. “Did I really frighten you that much?”

Caroline paused, pulling back to smile. “I love you,” she reminded him. “I’m used to way worse mood swings coming from you. A hundred years together gives me plenty of experience dealing with your grumpy self.”

Pinching her side, he grinned at her small yelp. “And nothing could scare you away,” he asked playfully, though he was careful to read her face for any hesitation.

“Wolf bites, crazy siblings, rampant bloodshed,” she listed, counting on her fingers with an exaggerated look of consideration. “Nope, I’m good.”

Klaus pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Even if it means forever,” he asked, voice soft and serious.

She cocked her head to the side, wondering at the change in tone. “Klaus?”

“Marry me.”


	3. Five Years a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hi! I absolutely loved, The Last 100 Years, and I was wondering if you thought about writing something about Caroline and Kol's adventures together! I really enjoyed how you wrote their relationship and that wonderful scene of vulnerability between them! I'm curious about how Klaus felt when he learned about how long they've been traveling together lol! Your writing is wonderful!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you enjoyed this series! This prompt actually fits well with a requested outtake from Istanbul, when Klaus healed Caroline's werewolf bite and discovered her friendship with Kol. I am so sorry that this isn't exactly what you asked for, I just don't think I'm up for a direct sequel to the other stories. I like where they've ended right now (though I will never say never when it comes to future inspiration).
> 
> Anyway, I hope this is a satisfactory substitute, and that you enjoy it just as much as its predecessors! Your compliments are truly an honor, and I hope I do them justice. Thanks for the prompt!

Klaus took care to shut the door quietly, though Caroline was already sleeping peacefully. Her eyes had been listless when he pressed his bloody wrist to her mouth, too near a miserable death for his liking. She didn't latch onto the wound right away, and he feared his late arrival had accomplished the unthinkable until he finally felt her draw from his veins.

Relief flooded him as he cradled her gently to his chest. Caroline drank slowly, but he could see her color returning as the blood healed her. Coming to awareness, her eyes raised to meet his concerned gaze, and Klaus allowed himself a deep breath in a release of extreme tension.

She was going to live.

Letting her slump into rest, Klaus pulled the blankets to cover her. Lightly, he brushed his thumb across her mouth to catch the stray blood. He watched her for a moment longer, only leaving once satisfied her breathing was unlabored. The even rise and fall of her chest calmed him until he remembered the provenance of his emergency trip to Istanbul.

He found his little brother down in the hotel bar, three shots deep into a bottle of tequila. Klaus noted the familiar choice of alcohol, a particular favorite of Caroline's, which only raised more questions. However, prior context was always necessary.

"What happened?"

"You know me, brother. Never met a scrum I didn't want to join," Kol joked. The hybrid's unimpressed glare did nothing for him, but the blonde upstairs would have elbowed him for not giving a straight answer when her life was literally on the line. "Bar fight broke out during a football match, a vampire used our unfair advantage against a relatively harmless human, and Caroline felt the need to intervene. Vampire had a friend, friend had a syringe of wolf venom, I have a brother with the cure. Voila, Caroline's cured."

Klaus watched Kol carefully throughout his blithe explanation of events. A thousand years, and sometimes he still didn't understand the man who once looked to him as a hero. All he saw anymore was a thinly veneered rage and lighthearted buffoonery; Kol seemed to avoid genuine emotion at all times.

Yet, Kol was unable to conceal the slight bounce of his knee or the hint of blood where he was biting his tongue. The frenetic energy rolled off him in waves, and Klaus finally realized-his brother was worried about Caroline.

Klaus's instinct was to snarl in protest, lay every possible claim to Caroline as his own despite her admittedly reluctant feelings for him. Bizarrely, a part of his was proud to see his previously flighty brother so profoundly connected to someone. He tried not to, but Klaus had to ask. "Why Caroline?"

Smirk pulling at his lips, Kol poured himself another shot. "She's a bossy one, practically demanded I be her best friend if I was intent on hanging around," he said. "Though I think it was just convenience on her part. I minded her ridiculous house rules particularly well, and she didn't want to break in a new roommate."

"You're living together?" Klaus's stomach roiled. He quickly ordered a bourbon to have something in his hands, hoping it would be enough to keep him from stabbing his brother. If he were as close to Caroline as he said, the blonde would never forgive fratricide. She probably wouldn't anyway, but it appeared Kol was doubly under her protection. Swallowing his drink in one go, he ordered another before turning to face Kol. "How long?"

"Five years. Australia."

That explained why Kol had never told him; he hadn't heard from his brother in well over a decade. But Caroline- "She never mentioned," he said. "I saw her just last year in London, visiting that insufferable doppelganger."

Kol smacked the bar top in indignation. "I knew it! I knew she was too happy after that trip. I figured she got some from Junior Salvatore, but it was you!"

Rolling his eyes, Klaus sipped his second drink more slowly. The glass helped to hide a smug grin; that had been an excellent weekend, but Kol didn't need the details. "Why the secrecy?"

"I could ask you the same," Kol countered.

"But I'm asking the questions," Klaus reminded sternly.

Shrugging, Kol's smile was easy. "It's fun to keep secrets from you."

About to go for his throat, only Kol's phone vibrating stopping him. Instead, he plucked the phone from his hand to answer the call from Caroline. "Feeling better, love?"

Her voice was throaty, but strengthened by anger. "Did you kill him?"

"He wouldn't dare," Kol teased. "Come join us for a drink, darling."

Caroline sighed in relief, and Klaus was torn between irritation and the thrill that came from proving himself worthy of her trust. "I need to shower first," she said. "My skin feels gross."

"If that's an invitation," Kol drawled before his brother's eyes flashed gold at the implication.

"Not if it was raining bleach, Kol," Caroline scoffed, an old joke between them. "I'll be down in thirty."

* * *

Their drinking went well into the morning. Caroline constantly felt the strain of being the buffer, but she was so happy to see the brothers banter that she really didn't mind. Kol missed his siblings more than he let on, and this time was good for him to appreciate the novelty that family could be as a vampire. Caroline knew, because Kol was the only family she had left.

She visited Elena, of course, the Salvatores never far from her. But, it wasn't the same after a century. Kol was the one she called first, good news or bad news. They argued over the apartment, haggled over groceries, and kept a running bet over who could seduce a target first. Caroline rarely slept with them in the end, but Kol always did. It was a point of pride for him.

With Kol, she felt content in a way she had lost in her world travels. Wanderlust had evolved from a hunger for new experiences to a deplorable boredom that must be rectified. In Australia, Kol helped her enjoy the world right around her. There was something new everyday, right there in her comfort zone. She always thought that was what home was supposed to feel like, and five years hadn't been able to dull that feeling.

Sitting between Kol and Klaus, though-content wasn't the word. Complete. She felt complete.

Klaus slipped his hand into hers as they stood, ready to get some sleep after all the excitement.

"She said sleep, you dolt," Kol chided, ignoring Caroline's annoyed glare.

"I'm not suggesting anything else," Klaus replied calmly.

He seemed peaceful, at ease in the way Caroline had grown used to seeing him in their odd rendezvous. She turned her glare on him; his blood still ran through her veins, and her thoughts were ripe with memories of their time together. Squeezing his hand, she walked them toward the elevators. "Good night, Kol," she said dismissively.

"Breakfast," Kol called out.

"Dinner," Caroline countered, smugly meeting Klaus's smirk with her own as she waved to his disgusted brother.

Kol muttered as the elevator doors closed, stomping to the front desk to get another room. "I'm going to need one as far from the sixth floor as you can get," he demanded. Considering the size of the hotel, he feared it wouldn't be far enough. "Say, do you have any other hotels in the area? My best mate is going to ravage my brother, and I really don't want to hear the squeaks, if you catch my drift."


End file.
